Kickstart: A musical spotlight on the 3D Toy Shop

Let's start with an update to a story PN's Sarah Kominek wrote for our special report on social media. In May, she spoke with Nick Hardman, a United Kingdom-based 3D printing hobbyist who makes specialty stuffed animals for kids with medical issues, he said he was hoping to raise money and awareness to keep his 3D Toy Shop up and running.

Now he has more of both with the U.K.-based pop star Lewis Capaldi featuring Nick and the toy shop in his newest video.

The video for Haven't You Ever Been in Love Before, labeled as "Nick's Story," shows Hardman at his home producing 3D replicas of medical devices such as feeding tubes, hearing aids and prosthetics. It also features the volunteers who stitch the items onto bears and stuffed toys.

The 3D Toy Shop makes each animal as a unique toy for each child, who then has a "friend" with the same medical issues as they have.

But obviously, as Hardman told Sarah, that takes money. He'd already gone through more than $12,000 (10,000 U.K. pounds) of his own money to finance the work.

Since Capaldi's new video landed on YouTube and social media in late May — where it has had about 500,000 views — Hardman's GoFundMe has surpassed its goal of 10,000 pounds and is approaching 30,000 pounds ($37,000).

Will the combination of prescription medicine and diet culture prompt a demand for more medical device manufacturing?

The diabetes treatment drug Ozempic saw demand soar 111 percent in February 2023 vs. the same month in 2022, driven apparently by the fact that it — and its sister drug Wegovy — are also credited as being a weight loss aid. (Elon Musk is among its vocal fans.)

Both drugs are made by Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk.

These drugs aren't pills that go into a standard plastic container, but instead use a specialized plastic injection pen, which obviously means more requirements for suppliers to Novo Nordisk.

But the surge in demand for the drugs from people seeking a miracle diet to lose weight is leading to a potential shortage for patients who need it for diabetes treatments, CNN reports. And insurance companies are dealing with an influx of demands for coverage of the expensive treatments, our sister paper Crain's Chicago Business writes.

Obviously, there's a lot going on with the story, but for now, expect demand for manufacturing of those injector pens to remain strong.

Rotomolder and vacuum former Redline Plastics has picked up an excellence award from a Wisconsin organization, Focus on Energy, for its investment in LED lighting at its 250,000-square-foot building in Manitowoc, Wis.

Opting for LED lighting throughout the plant saved more than 390,000 kilowatt hours of energy — enough to power 43 homes for an entire year

"A well-lit work environment makes such a difference in a facility like ours," Justin Van Ess, director of plant project management and maintenance, said in a news release. "Being able to clearly see the parts we're making, and our machines is a benefit to quality and safety. It's also a nicer environment for our employees to come to every day. The fact that LED lights are also incredibly efficient is fantastic — it saves us money and reduces our environmental impact as well."